The 24-year-old flanker arrives at Kingsholm having recently captained Leeds Carnegie to a third-placed finish in the Greene King IPA Championship and, most recently, to a narrow play-off defeat to London Welsh.

Rowan became the youngest ever captain of Leeds Carnegie when he was appointed to the role in 2012. He also captained England U20s in the 2010 Junior World Championship in Argentina, leading a team that featured current Gloucester rugby players Jonny May and Shaun Knight.

Rowan, a chemistry graduate from the University of Leeds, admitted that it would be a wrench to leave the club where he's spent his entire playing career to date.

"It's going to be strange," he said. "I've been at Leeds since I was 14 years old, nearly 10 years now. I've made a lot of good friends here and it'll feel odd to move on.

"But I'm at the stage of my career where I want to really test myself at the highest level on a consistent basis. When I heard that Gloucester were interested in me, it was too good an opportunity to turn down."

MEANWHILE, Gloucester fly half Freddie Burns has been confirmed as a signing for Leicester Tigers. The 24-year-old England international moves to Welford Road as a replacement for Toulouse-bound Toby Flood.